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This is the blog for Robert Vincent, Chief of Police for the Gulfport (Florida) Police Department. Please feel free to leave comments, but keep in mind that anything appearing on this page may be subject to retention and disclosure in accordance with Florida public records law.

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Monday, March 25, 2013

Our professional standards lieutenant, Mary Farrand, gave me some interesting information this afternoon. It turns out the state-maintained database for law enforcement officer certification and training can generate some pretty interesting statistical reports. I'll let the numbers speak for themselves, but it's pretty clear that we're an educated, experienced, and diverse organization.

Some interesting tidbits:

Gulfport officers are more than twice as likely to have a college degree when compared to their colleagues around the state.

Almost half of GPD officers have at least ten years on the job.

GPD

All Florida Agencies Combined

City of Gulfport Population

State of Florida Population

Race

Asian

6.9%

0.8%

1.2%

2.4%

Black

10.3%

19.2%

9.2%

16%

Hispanic

3.4%

12.4%

4.9%

22.5%

White

79.3%

66.4%

86.1%

75%

Gender

Male

75.9%

78.2%

47.1%

48.9%

Female

24.1%

21.8%

52.9%

51.1%

Law Enforcement Experience

Less than one year

6.9%

4.4%

Comparable data not applicable

1-3 years

13.8%

7.1%

3-5 years

6.9%

9.2%

5-10 years

24.1%

25.0%

10-15 years

41.4%

17.2%

15-20 years

3.4%

15.3%

20-25 years

0

11.4%

More than 25 years

3.4%

10.4%

Education

HS Diploma

13.8%

63.3%

Comparable data is not available

Associate’s Degree

31.0%

11.9%

Bachelor’s Degree

37.9%

21.8%

Graduate Degree

17.2%

2.8%

These facts are reflected in our hiring and promotion policies. Police applicants must possess 60 college credit hours or they must have prior law enforcement or military experience. In order to test for promotion to sergeant, candidates must have an associate's degree. To be considered for appointment to lieutenant requires a bachelor's degree, and it is preferred that the chief of police have a master's degree.

Education is valuable in this high-liability profession, but it cannot be the sole ingredient to a successful policing team. As noted above, almost half of GPD officers have at least ten years' service. That kind of experience gives us a tremendous base of knowledge about the community, and combined with the academic credential and a diversity that fairly represents our population, I think we're exactly where we need to be.